Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether a resolution of the United Nations in the Security Council constitutes sufficient authority for the establishment of the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal. [HL1134]

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Yes. Security Council Resolution 827 of 16 April 1993, adopting the statute of the International Criminal Tribunal on the former Yugoslavia, was adopted under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Its provisions are thus legally binding upon UN member states.

Angola

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the statement by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 8 March (H.L. Deb., col. 382) that the report of the electronic Daily Telegraph of 2 February 2000 had not covered all that the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office had said in Johannesburg, what remarks made in Johannesburg on that date were omitted from the report.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Mr Hain made very clear his views on the need for a peaceful and negotiated settlement in Angola to the noble Lord in his letter of 11 September 2000.

Angola

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was meant by the statement by the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, quoted in the electronic Daily Telegraph of 2 February 2000, and confirmed by him in a letter to Lord Lamont of Lerwick on 11 September 2000, that if Dr Jonas Savimbi was willing "to go into exile and retire and live out his days in the comfort that he was obviously able to provide for himself, it would be possible to provide guarantees about that"; and, in particular, what was meant by the word "guarantees" in that statement.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Mr Hain made very clear his views on the need for a peaceful and negotiated settlement in Angola to the noble Lord in his letter of 11 September 2000.

Balibo: Death of Journalists

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What communication they have received from the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, United Nations Transitional Administration East Timor, on the question of whether the murders of Brian Peters and Malcolm Rennie at Balibo during the clandestine invasion of East Timor by Indonesian forces in October 1975 can be considered to be a war crime under international law.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: When John Battle, Minister of State at the Foreign Office, met Sergio Vieira de Mello, head of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), in London on 6 March, he asked him about the UN investigation into the deaths of the journalists at Balibo in 1975. Mr de Mello confirmed that the UN police report had been submitted to Mr Othman, the UN Prosecutor General, who has said that there are grounds to continue with the investigations but that the case is not yet ready for trial. The Prosecutor General is examining the applicable law surrounding this case. We will continue to monitor developments closely.

European Cybercrime Convention

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which United Kingdom government bodies have made representations to the Council of Europe in order to assist the preparation of European Cybercrime Convention.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: On behalf of the Government as a whole, Home Office officials lead the United Kingdom delegation at the Committee of Experts on Crime in Cyberspace negotiating the draft Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime. The delegation has included officials of other government departments. Preparation of the United Kingdom's negotiating position is undertaken in consultation with a range of government departments which have interests in the draft convention.

European Cybercrime Convention

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the light of recent reports suggesting that the United States regulators are likely to reject the proposed European Cybercrime Convention, what consultations they have had with the United States Administration on this issue; and what are the implications for Europe-wide e-commerce generally in the event that the authorities decide to reject the convention.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The United States is one of four non-member states of the Council of Europe invited to participate in the negotiation of the draft Convention on Cybercrime. Like all governments involved in negotiating the convention, the United States Administration will decide whether it is in the interests of the United States to become a party to the convention when its drafting is concluded. Our respective delegations to the Committee of Experts drafting the convention work closely together and we believe the United States is likely to seek to become a party to the convention.

Abnormal Loads

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 22 November 2000 (WA 74), that "mobile phones are the normal mode of communication between the police and the abnormal load's 'second man'", what was the gross train weight and overall dimensions of any abnormal loads escorted by the police between junctions 1 and 4 of the M6 motorway on 13 March; and whether mobile phones were used to facilitate the escorting.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: We have been informed by Warwickshire police that two abnormal loads were escorted by the police between junctions 1 and 4 of the M6 motorway on 13 March. In both cases mobile telephones were used as the mode of communication between the police and the abnormal load crew. The dimensions of the two loads were: (i) weight 55 tonnes, width 4.8 metres, length 18.5 metres, height 4.9 metres; and (ii) weight 82 tonnes, width 4.96 metres, length 22.5 metres and height 4.45 metres.

Government Website Probes

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether estimates are correct that approximately 100,000 attempts to hack in to government websites are made daily, 30 per cent of which are classified as "serious".

Lord Bassam of Brighton: There are no figures recorded for intrusions or attempted intrusions into government websites. However, in common with all organisations which have websites, there are probes being carried out on a regular daily, even hourly, basis. The majority of these probes are carried out using automated processes and tools by hackers of very limited experience. These probes are obvious and are easily handled. However some probes are carried out by experts and are less obvious. Although probes are not in themselves illegal, those by experts can be the precursor to more serious attacks and therefore raise greater concern.

Prison Service Instructions

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish Prison Service Instructions, other than those concerned with security, on the Prison Service website.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Prison Service Instructions have a maximum shelf life of 12 months. They are written to handle specific events or as interim instructions while a Prison Service Order (PSO) is being written or updated. There are no plans to publish these temporary instructions on the website.
	All new PSOs, except those that are protectively marked such as the Security Manual, are published on the website. Back copies of extant PSOs are in the process of being formatted and will be brought on line as soon as practicable.

Criminal Cases Review Commission: Consideration of Human Rights

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Criminal Cases Review Commission, in considering whether to refer a conviction to the Court of Appeal for re-examination, takes into account of whether a convicted person has received a fair trial in accordance with Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Human Rights Act 1998 enjoins all public authorities, including the courts, to act in a way which is compatible with convention rights. The Criminal Cases Review Commission, in deciding whether or not to make a reference to the Court of Appeal, must have regard to whether there is a real possibility that the court would not uphold the conviction or sentence in question. As the court will therefore take into account the convention rights when deciding whether to quash a conviction or alter a sentence, the commission too must, and does, have regard to all the factors the court will consider.

Hi-tech Crime Investigation

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2 April (WA 85) that "there is no centrally determined requirement for all officers or new recruits to be trained in information technology (IT) skills" and in the context of the establishment of the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, how they propose to staff the Unit.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The first staff to join the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit will undertake a two-week training course on hi-tech crime investigation prepared for the National Crime Squad by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, beginning in April 2001.
	Training courses on computer network investigation and forensic computing are being developed to train the specialists whose posts are being created with the funding made available by my right honourable friend the Home Secretary to enhance the capability of law enforcement to investigate crime where new technology is used. Home Office National Police Training is developing a new course which will be available later this year to deal specifically with the investigation of Internet crime. Training in the use of computer investigation software is also available commercially.

Lewes Prison Report

Lord Dholakia: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the Lewes Board of Visitor's Annual Report which called for part of the prison being closed.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: We are currently considering this report and my right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Home Department (Mr Boateng) will be responding shortly to all the issues raised by the board. When he has done so I will ensure that a copy of his reply is placed in the Library.

Drug-related Crime

Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What new funding will be made available to tackle drug-related crime.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: In addition to the £220 million announced by my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget, new funding of £50 million will also be made available over the two years 2002-03 to 2003-04 to accelerate the programme to extend drug testing within the criminal justice system. The initial pilot phase of the programme is due to start in the spring.
	Evidence of the effectiveness of these pilots will inform final decisions on where best to spend this new funding within the criminal justice system.

Freedom of Information Legislation

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have information as to the period of time found necessary by the Governments of Canada, New Zealand and Ireland to bring into force their freedom of information legislation; and, if so, whether they will publish this information.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The information to which the noble Lord refers was collected as part of the lengthy and detailed consultation process that preceded the drafting of our legislation.
	The Canadian federal freedom of information legislation was enacted in June 1982 and came into force in July 1983. The New Zealand Official Information Act was enacted in December 1982 and came into force in July 1983. The Irish Act was signed into law in April 1997. It was applied to central government and certain other bodies in April 1998 and applied to local authorities and health boards in October 1998. Since then, they have been rolling out freedom of information on an incremental but sustained basis. They plan to bring in unversities and the third level education sector in October of this year.
	The Irish freedom of information legislation will eventually have roughly the same scope as the United Kingdom Act, though it is not, of course, retrospective in nature. Due to the size of its scope, they have found that it is necessary to roll it out in a gradual manner, with bodies such as the police not yet brought within the scope of their Act. It is likely that their implementation period will be longer than the five-year limit on the face of the United Kingdom Act.
	The Canadians and the New Zealanders were able to implement their Acts over a shorter timescale because of the smaller scope of their legislation. The Canadian Act applies only to information held by government departments and most government agencies, roughly 150 bodies, while the New Zealand legislation applies only to central government.
	In contrast, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will apply to over 50,000 bodies across the whole of the public sector. It will apply to local government, the police and general practitioners, for example, in the same way as it applies to central government departments. As a result, a considerable amount of work is required, in particular on the part of the Information Commissioner in the shape of approving publication schemes in order to ensure that the Act is implemented in the best way possible.

Asylum Seekers: Detention at Oakington

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether nationality is one of the factors that is taken into consideration in assessing the case for detaining an asylum seeker at Oakington; what are the "nationalities listed in the regular instructions to staff" referred to in the Operational Enforcement Manual of the Immigration and Nationality Department; what is the relevance of this list to decisions to detain at Oakington; and what advice they took on the compatibility of these instructions with Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Nationality is a factor, although not the only factor, in deciding whether a case is suitable for consideration at Oakington, as the country of origin has a bearing on the likely complexity of the claim.
	The nationalities currently considered potentially suitable for Oakington are; Albania, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Ivory Coast (temporarily suspended), Czech Republic, Estonia, Ghana, Hungary, India, Iraq, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tanzania. Ukraine, Uganda, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Zimbabwe. Operational constraints--for example, the availability of interpreters--limit the range of nationalities that can in practice be dealt with at Oakington at any one time.
	Applicants from these countries may be referred to Oakington where it appears that their application can be decided quickly, including those which may be certified as manifestly unfounded, and there are no other circumstances which would make their claim unsuitable for Oakington.
	We are satisfied that these instructions comply with Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Police Station Closures

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many police stations in England and Wales have been closed during the past three years; and where they were.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Estimates by police forces of the number of police stations closed in each force in England and Wales between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 2000 are set out in the table attached. Figures for 2000-01 are not yet available.
	
		
			 Force 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 
			 Avon & Somerset 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 1 4 
			 Cheshire  2 3 
			 Cleveland 1 2 
			 Cumbria  10 
			 Derbyshire 6 3 6 
			 Devon & Cornwall 4 3 4 
			 Dorset  1 1 
			 Durham 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 
			 Essex  1 39 
			 Gloucestershire  4 12 
			 Greater Manchester 9 
			 Gwent  5 
			 Hampshire 3 8 
			 Hertfordshire 1  2 
			 Humberside  2 2 
			 Kent 3 1 
			 Lancashire 1 1 
			 Leicestershire 2 3 
			 Lincolnshire 1 1 
			 Metropolitan 5 7 6 
			 Merseyside 1 1 6 
			 Norfolk 1 
			 Northumbria  5 4 
			 North Wales 7 2 5 
			 Nottinghamshire 22 1 
			 South Wales 10 8 9 
			 South Yorkshire  4 2 
			 Staffordshire 2 1 1 
			 Surrey 2 2 
			 Thames Valley 7 1 2 
			 West Mercia  4 
			 West Midlands 2 1 1 
			 West Yorkshire 1 
			 Wiltshire 2 2

Vladimiro Montesinos: Bank Accounts

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have knowledge of bank accounts opened with British banks by or on behalf of Mr Vladimiro Montesinos, an associate of former President Fujimori of Peru; and whether they have received requests for such accounts to be frozen.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: There is no central record of bank accounts in the United Kingdom but, on the basis of inquiries made in the time available, Her Majesty's Government are not aware of any such accounts held by or on behalf of Mr Montesinos. Her Majesty's Government do not confirm or deny the existence of letters of request, including requests for bank accounts to be frozen.

Personal Data

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they believe that existing legislation defines adequately the ownership of personal data relating to individual citizens.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Data Protection Act 1998, which governs the processing of personal data, does not use the concept of ownership of personal data.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Compensation

The Duke of Montrose: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why auctioneers and valuers employed under the foot and mouth eradication scheme are not instructed to use the same basis of "replacement value" as was used under the selective cull scheme for the eradication of BSE.

Baroness Hayman: The Animal Health Act 1981 states that when slaughter of animals is carried out for foot and mouth disease control purposes full market value, and not replacement value, shall be paid as compensation.
	Under the BSE selective cull, 90 per cent of replacement value was paid only for female cattle, with compensation at full market value for males.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Imports from South Africa

Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why a total ban on imports from South Africa was not imposed when information of an outbreak of the pan-Asian Strain of foot and mouth disease was known.

Baroness Hayman: We were advised by the European Commission that on 21 September 2000 the South African authorities had declared 16 foot and mouth controlled areas in the Kwa-Zulu-Natal Province and introduced a prohibition on exports of animals and animal products from those areas. The Commission had asked for further information to enable a decision to be taken on whether Community safeguard measures would be necessary. At the Standing Veterinary Committee meeting held on 3 to 4 October 2000, a decision was adopted which added the 16 areas to the existing South African foot and mouth disease control area from which fresh meat may not be exported to the Community. On learning that foot and mouth disease had spread outside the revised control area, we took the decision to impose a South Africa wide import ban.

Animal Welfare Organisations and MAFF

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman on 28 March (WA 41), what is the relationship between animal welfare organisations and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Animal Welfare Division.

Baroness Hayman: We have regular and open contact with the main welfare organisations. This applies both to the work of Ministers and to the staff of the Animal Welfare Division.

Foot and Mouth Disease: Assistance to Businesses Affected

Lord Inglewood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will allow national and European money which is allocated for diversification to be used for the re-establishment of businesses which have been severely affected by the consequences of foot and mouth disease.

Baroness Hayman: Existing structural fund single programming documents, the England Rural Development Programme and some national schemes already provide aid for diversification which could be accessed by businesses affected by foot and mouth disease. We are considering whether further changes are needed, but these would be governed, where relevant, by European Union rules on what these EU co-financed programmes can assist and on making changes to them.

Lords of Appeal

Baroness Thomas of Walliswood: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps, if any, they are taking to ensure that the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary include some women.

Lord Irvine of Lairg: In advising on the appointment of Lords of Appeal it has always been my policy, and that of my predecessors, that these appointments must be made on merit. However, this in no way prejudices my commitment to securing equality of opportunity, with a view to promoting a greater diversity across the whole of the judiciary, including at the very highest levels, such as the House of Lords.
	It is the general practice to appoint as Lords of Appeal those serving as judges in the Supreme Court (or the Scottish and Northern Irish equivalents) and in that context there has been an encouraging increase in the number of senior women judges appointed in recent years; for example, there are now 11 women judges in the High Court and above, and five out of the 12 senior appointments made in 1999-2000 were of women.
	The measures I am taking, and the growing number of women in the legal profession, should ensure a continuing improvement in numbers. I will build on the initiatives I have already taken with a view to progessive increases in the number of women judges at all levels as the pool of suitable candidates at the requisite senior level in the profession grows.

Consolidation Bills

Lord Brightman: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it is their present intention to introduce the following consolidation Bills (mentioned in the 35th Annual Report of the Law Commission) before the end of the 2001-02 Session of Parliament:
	(a) consolidation of the law relating to European parliamentary elections;
	(b) consolidation of the law relating to parliamentary and local government elections;
	(c) consolidation of the provisions relating to the functions of the criminal division of the Court of Appeal;
	(d) consolidation of the legislation relating to wireless telegraphy; and whether it is their present intention to introduce any other consolidation Bills before the end of the 2001-02 Session of Parliament.

Lord Irvine of Lairg: Of the four consolidation Bills being drafted by the Law Commission, that on the law relating to European parliamentary elections is the most advanced and is likely to be introduced before the end of the 2001-02 Session. It is too early to say whether the other three Bills, or any Bills from other consolidation projects which may be undertaken, will be introduced during the 2001-02 Session. Progress on any consolidation Bill depends on whether there are, or may be, other Bills dealing with the same subject matter and the progress of such Bills. It is also liable to be affected by the demands which programme Bills make on departmental resources.

Prudential Assurance Company and Commission for Holocaust Claims

Lord Janner of Braunstone: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have received regarding the failure of the Prudential Assurance Company to commit itself to the International Commission on Holocaust and Insurance Claims.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: None.

Gulf Veterans: Symptom Data

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the symptom data for members of HM Armed Forces who served in Operation Granby recorded by the medical assessment programme and the War Pensions Agency are recorded in such a way as to enable clusters of illnesses to be detected; and, if not, whether they would consider the feasibility and value of conducting such an exercise.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Accurate diagnosis is key to the detection of clusters of illness. A diagnosis is made on the basis of eliciting and interpreting symptoms and physical signs and analysing investigation results. It is regarded as best medical practice to record these findings. The Gulf Veteran's Medical Assessment Programme (GVMAP), which is for serving and ex-service Gulf veterans and certain civilians, records all these data in case notes. The data were analysed and the GVMAP published its clinical findings in 1996 and 1999. These findings are broadly comparable with the published findings of similar large US clinical programmes which assess the health of Gulf veterans. Not only have these programmes shown that there is a lack of a unique illness affecting Gulf veterans but the resultant case mix has not, so far as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is aware, drawn any comment that it is unusual.
	However, it is important to note that GVMAP patients are self-selected and their health experience may not represent that of those who deployed to the Gulf. Therefore, its clinical findings cannot be used to determine prevalence of illness among the whole Gulf veteran population.
	War pensions can be claimed only once service personnel leave the Armed Forces and are awarded for service-related disablement or death, not in respect of symptoms. The War Pensions Agency (WPA) does not have readily available data on symptoms alone but can provide data on medical conditions as reported by those who have claimed a war pension. It is possible that Gulf veterans may be ill as a consequence of their service in the Gulf but have not claimed a war pension. For these reasons, and limitations imposed by the Data Protection Act 1998, comparison of data sets on symptoms may not be overly informative. However, last year officials in the MoD's Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit were tasked to explore with the WPA whether GVMAP and WPA data could be aggregated to provide a more complete view of the incidence of symptoms among Gulf veterans. This work is ongoing. I will write to the noble Countess when I am in a position to do so and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Manual of Military Law, Part III

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether Part III of the Manual of Military Law, referred to during the passage of the International Criminal Court Bill on 8 March and 20 March (H.L. Deb., cols. 367 and 1321), is scaled for issue to units and sub-units of the British Army; and, if not, when it ceased to be so scaled; and
	Further to the answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 20 March (H.L. Deb., col. 367), when the revised Part III of the Manual of Military Law will be (a) reprinted, (b) reissued and (c) accessible to all members of the Army.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Manual of Military Law, Part III (MML Pt III) was first published in 1958. MML Pt III is an academic legal text, a reference document for lawyers and a detailed, if dated, commentary on the rules of war. In practice, the incorporation of legal requirement in rules of engagement, courses on international law at all levels at appropriate times and cards setting out main war crimes issued to servicemen going into combat are all more relevant to servicemen than MML Pt III. As such, MML Pt III is only one way in which the law of armed conflict is disseminated in the Army.
	There are no plans to reprint MML Pt III in its current form but it has not been withdrawn from circulation. Copies are still held at unit and formation level and further copies may be requested from the Central Services Establishment, Llangennech.
	MML Pt III is being completely rewritten as a Joint Service Publication (JSP 383) and will therefore cover the law of armed conflict applicable to land, sea and air operations. A timetable for publication and distribution has not yet been fixed as draft texts are still being considered.

Kosovo: Cluster Bombs

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What percentage of the bombs dropped by the Royal Air Force during the Kosovo campaign from 24 March to 10 June 1999 were cluster bombs; and what was the total number of such bombs.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Royal Air Force used a total of 1,011 munitions during the course of the Kosovo campaign. Of these, 531 (some 52.5 per cent) were RBL 755 cluster munitions.

Kosovo: Cluster Bombs

Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the total number of cluster bomblets dropped by NATO during the Kosovo campaign in 1999 which failed to explode on impact; what reports they have seen by the International Committee of the Red Cross on the number of people subsequently injured by these bomblets; and what was the number of those people so injured whose wounds proved fatal.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: It has not been possible to provide the information requested in the time available. I will write to my noble Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Army Rifle: Calibre

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 8 November 2000 (WA 162), whether they will indicate on what date Ministers in the Ministry of Defence approved the adoption of 5.56mm as the calibre of the Army rifle to replace the 7.62mm self-loading rifle.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The extant records on the replacement programme for the self-loading rifle are limited. The available sources show that ministerial approval for final development and advanced action for production for the SA80, with an expected calibre of 5.56mm, took place on 18 July 1979.

Balkans and Iraq: Call Out of Reservists

Lord Kirkhill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether reservists will continue to be called out for operations in the Balkans and the region of Iraq.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Since NATO operations commenced in the former Yugoslavia, the reserve forces have historically provided some 10 per cent of the total UK manpower in theatre. A further call-out order has been made under Section 54 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to allow members of the reserve forces to continue to be called out to support operations in Yugoslavia and in the region of Iraq. As in previous years, only volunteers for these duties will be called out. The new call-out order has effect until 31 March 2002.

Late Payment of Commercial Debts

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What has been the impact of the Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998; and whether they will adopt the new elements in the European Union Late Payment Directive which enables such firms to charge recovery costs and other incidentals on top of lost interest from those firms and institutions which pay late.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: We have continued to monitor payment times in the UK since the introduction of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Recent surveys have provided encouraging signs of improvement. Research published by Dun and Bradstreet last month shows that UK companies are now the second fastest in Europe for paying their bills on time. Prior to the introduction of the legislation, the UK held fourth place in the league of fastest paying European countries.
	In line with Cabinet Office best practice requirements, the Small Business Service published a consultation document concerning the implementation of Directive 2000/35/EC in February 2001. This document sets out the proposed approach and a number of implementation options, including how we adopt the new right to claim reasonable compensation for all relevant recovery costs.

Clothing and Footwear Sizes: Standardisation

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their policy towards European Union standardisation of clothing and footwear sizes by 2003 as proposed by the Cologne-based Research Centre of the Clothing Industry and shortly to be presented to CEP (European Standards Committee).

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: It is primarily for industry to take forward initiatives in the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) and in national standards bodies such as the British Standards Institution. CEN is currently developing a European sizing designation system for clothing and this work enjoys the strong support of UK manufacturing and retailing interests. There are currently no prospects for developing a European sizing designation system for footwear.
	The Government welcome such initiatives where they increase the competitiveness of the UK manufacturing and service sectors. Indeed, the DTI is currently providing a £1.4 million grant under the Foresight LINK Award scheme to a consortium of 28 partners (including four universities and a number of UK high street retailers and mail order companies) to develop three-dimensional body scanning technology in clothing retail and manufacturing.

Sex and Relationship Education

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will study the sex education provided in the United States since 1990, and in particular its emphasis on sexual abstinence before marriage.

Baroness Blackstone: A review of international research and evidence into the effect of sex education was carried out as part of the Social Exclusion Unit's report on teenage pregnancy published in June 1999. Copies are available in the House of Lords Library. The Learning and Skills Act (2000) gives a statutory footing to our recently published sex and relationship education guidance and requires that young people learn about the nature of marriage and its importance for family life and the bringing up of children. The guidance also states that secondary schools should give young people a clear understanding of the arguments for delaying sexual activity and resisting pressure to have sex.

European Year of Languages: MPs Taking Courses

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the light of the European Year of Languages, how many Ministers are learning a modern language.

Baroness Blackstone: We do not hold information centrally on the number of Ministers currently learning a modern language. However, from recent data collected by the Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT), 26 cross-party MPs have signed up to learn a modern foreign language as part of the European Year of Languages marketing event at the House of Commons last month. They will be learning languages ranging from French, Italian, Spanish and German to Greek, Albanian and Mandarin Chinese
	In DfEE we can claim some credit for our enthusiasm for learning. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for School Standards has embarked on a course of Spanish, specifically with reference to EYL's programme the Languages Challenge; I, too, have been taking French improvement lessons in recent weeks.
	
		
			 Number/Name Constituency Party Language Products chosen 
			 1 Richard Allan Sheffield, Hallam Liberal Democrat Greek Greek PDQ cassette and Greek PDQ  CD 
			 2 Graham Allen Nottingham North Labour French French Orchard toys and Francais  Actuel 
			 3 Ms H Blears Salford Labour Spanish All Talk Spanish CD 1+2, Espanol  en directo 
			 4 Rt Hon D Clark South Shields Labour French All Talk French CD 1+2(x2),  Francais Actuel x2 
			 5 Tony Colman Putney Labour French, Spanish,  Mandarin Francais Actuel, Espanol en directo,  In action Chinese 
			 6 David Crausby Bolton North East Labour Italian Italian PDQ cassette 
			 7 Rt Hon Terry Davis Birmingham Hodge Hill Labour Russian, French Russ, PDQ, Russ, Dialogue, French  All Talk CD 1+2 
			 8 Iain Duncan Smith Chingford and Woodford  Green Conservative French All Talk CD 1+2 French CD,  Francais Actuel 
			 9 Ms G Dunwoody Crewe and Nantwich Labour Mandarin Chinese Dialogue CD 
			 10 Caroline Flint Don Valley Labour French  
			 11 Sandra Gidley Romsey Liberal Democrat German PDQ CD German 
			 12 Jane Griffiths Reading East Labour Albanian  
			 13 Nick Hawkins Surrey Heath Conservative Italian  
			 14 John Heppell Nottingham East Labour French All Talk 1+2 French CD, Francais  Actuel 
			 15 Kelvin Hopkins Luton North Labour French All Talk French CD 1+2, Francais  Actuel 
			 16 Thomas McAvoy Glasgow Rutherglen Labour French All talk CD 1+2 French Francais  Actuel 
			 17 Rosemary McKenna Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Labour French All Talk CD level 1+2 
			 18 Kevin McNamara Kingston-upon-Hull North Labour Irish, French, Spanish Irish Starter, Francais Actuel,  Espanol, All Talk Spanish CD level  1+2 
			 19 Gordon Prentice Pendle Labour Italian Italian PDQ CD 
			 20 Andrew Robathan Blaby Conservative German PDQ PDQ German already received 
			 21 David Ruffley Bury St Edmunds Conservative French Francais Actuel French All Talk CD  1+2 
			 22 Dr Howard Stoate Dartford Labour Spanish All Talk Spanish CD 1+2, Espanol  Directo 
			 23 Rt Hon Mrs Ann Taylor Dewsbury Labour French Francais Actuel x2 
			 24 John Townend East Yorkshire Conservative French Francais Actuel 
			 25 Keith Vaz Leicester East Labour French All talk CD 1+2 already received 
			 26 Brian White NE Milton Keynes Labour Finnish Finnish Traditional Starter cassette

Foot and Mouth Disease: Human Infection

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What advice is given to general medical practitioners if they have a patient whom they suspect might have foot and mouth disease; and what advice is given to members of the State Veterinary Service who might be contacted by general practitioners for advice about such a patient.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department of Health advises that the risk of human infection with foot and mouth disease is extremely slight as the disease crosses the species barrier with difficulty. The department provided advice concerning the low level of risks to human health to all directors of public health for cascade to doctors on 28 February. Advice to doctors was provided by the Public Health Laboratory Service Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC) in its weekly Communicable Disease Review (CDR) issued on 1 March. Doctors were advised that in the unlikely event of a suspected human case occurring in association with the current outbreak they should contact the CDSC duty doctor, who would direct them towards expert advice on management and diagnosis. The appropriate 24-hour telephone number was given in the advice. This advice is also available on the PHLS website. The department's advice to NHS Direct also included advice on human health risks and included the links to the PHLS website for patient management information and the MAFF website.
	More detailed advice was provided to all consultants in communicable disease (CDDC) by way of question and answer briefing. General practitioners would normally consult with their local CCDC in the event of a case of an unusual zoonotic disease in the community. The PHLS advice was prepared in consultation with the Chief Veterinary Officer's representatives so that the State Veterinary Service was aware of the advice to be followed. The PHLS has a memorandum of understanding with the Veterinary Laboratories Agency regarding co-operation on surveillance and diagnosis of zoonotic diseases and the handling of diagnostic samples for confirmation of human disease has been agreed between the two agencies.

Hospital Hygiene

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish in the Official Report the names of hospitals in England which failed their hygiene test; and when they expect the re-testing of these hospitals to be completed.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Clean Hospitals programme was launched last year in the NHS Plan. National Health Service trusts produced a detailed assessment of the patient environment. Patient environment action teams (PEATs) visited over 400 hospitals in the autumn of last year to make an independent assessment of the quality of the patient environment. Standards of cleanliness were one element of the assessment. Therefore, it was not just a hygiene test.
	Hospitals were judged across a comprehensive list of patient environment criteria and were categorised as excellent, acceptable or poor. The initial visits did identify that some hospitals needed to make improvements in the levels of cleanliness.
	The PEAT teams have recently completed unannounced visits to all of the hospitals they visited in the autumn and assessed what progress had been made against the action plan. NHS Estates is currently collating and analysing the results. We will publish the results when the report has been finalised.
	We can confirm that the results show that significant, tangible improvements have been made.

NHS Performance Fund Payments

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many health authorities, National Health Service trusts, primary care groups and primary care trusts respectively received payments from the National Health Service Performance Fund for 2000-01; and how many received nothing.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Out of the 99 health authorities in England, 88 met the payment criteria on at least one of the payment dates and therefore received money from the NHS Performance Fund. Eleven health authorities failed to meet the criteria for any payment.

Widows Inherited SERPS

Lord Higgins: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many letters have been sent regarding entitlement to Widows Inherited SERPS to individuals addressed as "Miss".

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: We have sent around 8 million letters to pensioner households, including just under 400,000 to women listed on our computer records as using the title "Miss".
	It would be inappropriate for the department to make assumptions about individuals' underlying entitlement to benefits based soley on their preferred use of a personal title. As all pensioners have an underlying entitlement to SERPS, we are disseminating information to all pensioner households, whether those individuals are married, have been married, have never married or may go on to marry at a future date.

State Retirement Pensions

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the total spending of the Department of Social Security on state retirement pensions per thousand of the population in each of the English regions in each of the last five years.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: Detailed information on retirement pension expenditure by geographical areas is available only from 1999-2000. Estimated expenditure amounts for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 are given in the table.
	
		Expenditure per thousand of population by Government office region
		
			 Government Office Region 1999-2000 2000-01 
			 North East £650,000 £670,000 
			 North West £640,000 £660,000 
			 Yorkshsire and the Humber £630,000 £650,000 
			 East Midlands £640,000 £660,000 
			 West Midlands £640,000 £650,000 
			 East of England £660,000 £680,000 
			 London £490,000 £500,000 
			 South East £650,000 £670,000 
			 South West £730,000 £750,000 
			 Wales £670,000 £690,000 
			 Scotland £640,000 £650,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Calculations of spending per thousand of population for both years have been made using the mid-1999-2000 population figures.
	2. These expenditure figures have been calculated from the average weekly amounts and caseload figures that have been derived from a 5 per cent sample using the Pension Strategy Computer System.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000.

State Retirement Pensions

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the total spending of the Department of Social Security on state retirement pensions, per thousand of the population in Greater Manchester, Berkshire, Dorset, East Sussex, Hampshire, North Yorkshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Warwickshire and West Sussex in each of the last five years.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: Detailed information on retirement pension expenditure by geographical areas is available only from 1999-2000. Estimated expenditure amounts for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 are given in the table.
	
		Expenditure per thousand of population by the counties requested
		
			 County 1999-2000 2000-01 
			 Berkshire £530,000 £540,000 
			 Dorset £1,620,000 £1,640,000 
			 East Sussex £1,260,000 £1,280,000 
			 Greater Manchester £620,000 £630,000 
			 Hampshire £870,000 £900,000 
			 North Yorkshire £950,000 £980,000 
			 Oxfordshire £560,000 £580,000 
			 Surrey £690,000 £700,000 
			 Warwickshire £680,000 £710,000 
			 West Sussex £840,000 £860,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Calculations of spending per thousand of population for both years have been made using the mid-1999-2000 population figures.
	2. These expenditure figures have been calculated from the average weekly amounts and caseload figures that have been derived from a 5 per cent sample using the Pension Strategy Computer System.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10,000.

Pensioners Living Abroad: Pensions Uprating

Lord Shore of Stepney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hollis of Heigham on 29 March (WA 58) on the uprating of national insurance retirement pensions for United Kingdom pensioners residing in Cyprus, Jamaica, Malta and Mauritius, what are the reasons why these four Commonwealth countries should be so favoured while the rest of the Commonwealth, including countries where large numbers of United Kingdom pensioners have retired, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, are excluded from uprating.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The United Kingdom's bilateral social security agreements with Cyprus, Jamaica, Malta and Mauritius provide for UK state pensions to be uprated in those countries. However, their main purpose is to provide some co-ordination between social security schemes for workers moving between the two countries.
	For many years, partly due to the significant cost of uprating retirement pensions paid abroad, the UK has entered few new social security agreements allowing for pension increases. Of those mentioned here, the most recent, with Mauritius, first came into force in 1981.

Tourism: CBI Recommendations

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to the recommendations by the Confederation of British Industry in its tourism manifesto Targeting Tourism: the agenda for change that the Government should (a) increase the financial resources available to the British Tourist Authority, not only through grant-in-aid but also through matched funding; (b) provide sufficient resources to enable the English Tourism Council to adopt a stronger and more central leadership role for English tourism; (c) address the distorting effects of National Lottery funding and other capital funding boosts; and (d) avoid automatic uprating of the national minimum wage.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: (a) Following the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), the Government provided the British Tourist Authority (BTA) with an extra £5 million grant-in-aid over the three years from 1999-00 to 2001-02. Moreover, last year, as a result of the Chancellor's SR2000 spending review, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport announced his intention to continue BTA funding at the present higher level for the period from 2001-02 to 2003-04 (although £1.5 million per year of the allocation, for promoting London as a gateway to Britian, will now be channelled through the GLA with effect from 2001-2002). In addition, the BTA has refocused a further £5 million per year towards directly market-facing activities.
	The BTA has a key role to play in delivering the Government's Tourism Strategy Tomorrow's Tourism and the boost in the authority's promotional resources since 1999-2000 is a recognition for the importance and effectiveness of its work.
	(b) The English Tourism Council was given additional resources in CSR 2000 and has responded magnificantly to the problems the industry is facing during the foot and mouth outbreak.
	(c) Lottery funding is distributed on the basis of an assessment of need which the Government require lottery distributors to set out in strategic plans. Capital projects should therefore complement existing attractions rather than compete with them.
	Lottery funding is distributed for projects which promote the public good and are not intended primarily for private gain. It is time-limited and applicants for capital funding must present a business plan beyond the period of the grant incorporating provision for associated running and maintenance costs.
	(d) The Government have periodically asked the independent Low Pay Commission to monitor and evaluate the impact of the national minimum wage and to consider whether there is a case to increase the minimum wage rates and, if so, to what level, taking account of the likely impact on the economy. On 5 March the Government accepted the commission's latest recommendation to raise the main rate to £4.10 per hour from 1 October 2001.

English Tourism Marketing

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who are the members of the hospitality industry best practice forum; what is their remit; to which Minister or Ministers will their report be presented; and by what date will their report be published.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: There are 11 members of the Strategic Board of the Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Sector Industry Forum and their names are on the attached list. In addition, there are 18 members of the Industry Forum Action Group representing a broad spectrum of interests in hospitality and tourism. A list of their names and organisations is also attached.
	Their remit is to devise and take forward a scheme to strengthen the competitiveness of the tourism, hospitality and leisure sector by improving key operational management skills and business processes in order to create a world class tourism industry.
	The Industry Forum project will operate for five years and quarterly reports will be issued to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and copied to the Department of Trade and Industry.
	
		Tourism Industry Forum Strategic Board Members
		
			 Name  
			 Bob Cotton Chief Executive, British Hospitality Association 
			 Tim Bartlett Chief Executive, British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions 
			 David Battersby Managing Director, Hospitality and Leisure Manpower 
			 Robin Broke Chief Executive, Association of Leading Visitor Attractions 
			 Gary Crossley Group Editor, Reed Catering Titles 
			 Robert Hayward Chief Executive, Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association 
			 Stuart May Tourism Advisor, Department for Culture, Media and Sport 
			 Ian McKerracher Chief Executive, Restaurant Association 
			 Miles Quest Director, Wordsmith and Company 
			 Brigid Simmonds Chief Executive, Business in Sport and Leisure 
			 Sheila Thomson Tourism Advisor, Department for Culture, Media and Sport 
		
	
	
		Tourism Industry Forum Action Group Members
		
			 Name  
			 Michael Hirst Chairman, Business Tourism Partnership 
			 Marc Verstringhe Honorary President, European Catering Association International 
			 David Wood Chief Executive, Hotel and Catering International Management Association 
			 Alan Parker Whitbread Hotel Company 
			 David Michels Chief Executive, Hilton plc 
			 Graham Grose Thurlestone Hotel, Devon 
			 David Williams Ambassador Hotel, Llandudno 
			 Giles Shepard Ritz Hotel, London 
			 Andrew Coppel Chief Executive, Queen's Moat House 
			 Paul Dermody Managing Director, De Vere Hotels 
			 David Bland Managing Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Bass plc 
			 Michael Flexman Accor 
			 Ian Burke Chief Executive, Thistle Hotels 
			 Declan Swan Director, Hospitality Training Foundation 
			 Caroline Horrigan Chief Executive, Travel, Tourism and Events Services 
			 Professor Peter Jones Centre for Hospitality Industry Productivity Research 
			 Malcolm Bell Chief Executive, South West Tourism 
			 Paul Hopper London Tourist Board

English Tourism Marketing

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who are the members of the Visitor Reception Group; what is their remit; to which Minister or Ministers will their report be presented; and by what date will their report be published.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: I refer the noble Baroness to my Written Answer on 22 March (WA 181), in which I listed the members of the working group of industry representatives and government officials set up to consider the recommendations in the British Tourist Authority report First Impressions. That Written Answer also gave details of the group's remit and stated that it would report progress to the Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting by March 2002.

English Tourism Marketing

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the names of those who will carry out the new "scoping" study on environment benefits in hotels; to which Minister or Ministers will their report be presented; and by what date will their report be published.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: At the Tourism Summit on 6 March it was announced that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport would shortly fund a scoping study to identify the benefits of extending to hotels the Envirowise programme on environmental best practice. The department expects to commission AEA Technology to carry out this work and that it will be completed by the end of July. The report will be presented to Janet Anderson, the Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting.